The North Carolina Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund recently awarded more than $1.9 million to help communities across the state protect farmland and promote ag enterprises. Seventeen counties and two additional entities were awarded funds. The trust fund’s purpose is to support projects that encourage the preservation of qualifying agricultural, horticultural and forestlands while fostering the growth, development and sustainability of family farms.

Grants can be awarded for agricultural agreements that promote the active production of food and fiber on farm and forestlands; public and private enterprise programs that promote profitable and sustainable farm and forestlands; and the purchase of conservation easements on farm and forestlands.

Sources of PEDV in Swine Narrowed

An association of veterinarians is reporting that some feed practices may help identify the source of the outbreak of PEDV, or Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, which was first identified in U.S. swine herds in mid-May. Data collected by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) was submitted to the USDA’s Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health (CEAH), which is reporting that the origin of sow feed as well as the type, premix contents and several different rations fed to weaned market pigs in the last 90 days increases the odds of PEDV as much as three-and-a-half times.

Use of a “grain mixed with amino acid source and a base mix” was associated with an increased risk of PEDV for both sow feed and finisher feed, according to the report. PEDV has been indentified in 14 states, including North Carolina and is not transmissible to humans, nor does it affect meat quality.

National Farmers’ Market Week in Full Swing

National Farmers Market week is in full swing, and Anne Alonzo, the Administrator for the Agricultural Marketing Service, talks about how farmers markets connect communities and are a win-win for consumers and producers.:

“They play a really important role in strengthening local and regional food systems. It’s a way for farmers to connect to consumers. Food that is grown, processed, distributed and sold in the same region, the money stays there and supports the local economy. It supplies the community with healthy and fresh food options.”

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley declared August to be Farmers’ Market month in the Palmetto State.

US Wins WTO Poultry Dispute with China

The United States has won a major case at the World Trade Organization on behalf of the nation’s chicken producers. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack joined U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to make the announcement Friday…

“We lost nearly 80% of the market in China that we had enjoyed as a result of the imposition of unwarranted and unwanted duties. Today that gets rectified.”

According to Froman – a WTO dispute settlement panel found that China violated numerous WTO obligations in conducting its investigations and imposing anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties on chicken imports from the U.S.

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